According to Ginnitti, teams “have been eyeing [McCarron] for years now,” and the fourth-year quarterback is set to become a free agent after 2017, barring a contractual technicality. Meanwhile, Hill, still only 25, is in the last year of his rookie deal. Ginnitti writes, “Any kind of compensation [for Hill] should be considered.”

But there are two issues with these trades:

1. As Ginnitti writes, each trade would result in dead cap for the Bengals (McCarron $329,530 and Hill $725,000). Good luck getting owner Mike Brown to pay for a player no longer on his team.

2. Cincinnati seems to like both players more than what it can get in return. Quarterback Andy Dalton faltered yet again, falling apart in the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That has to raise major concerns about his future as a franchise quarterback. And if the Bengals held on to McCarron this long (and even turned down a second-round pick for him), they might be thinking of giving him a chance once the season is lost. Meanwhile, coach Marvin Lewis has been firm in his support of Hill. When asked why Hill started each half against the Steelers (despite all indications Joe Mixon is more deserving), Lewis responded, “There’s going to be some things that Jeremy has been through that Joe hasn’t been through yet.”

In short, it is unlike the Bengals to rock the boat. So while trading both players makes sense, it’s unlikely to happen.